The present invention relates generally to hinges for vehicles and, more particularly, to a decklid hinge for a vehicle.
It is known to provide a decklid for a vehicle to open and close a rear compartment of a vehicle body of the vehicle. Typically, the deck lid is attached to the vehicle body with at least one, preferably a pair of laterally spaced hinges. Currently, the decklid hinges do not allow springs to be used as a counterbalance mechanism due to the use of spring pre-tensioners and instead include a gas strut for counter-balancing the weight of the decklid. However, gas struts are expensive, and provide varying force with change in temperatures. Further, to install a backlite glass, the decklid needs to be removed and reinstalled to the vehicle body to provide access for glass load and install. This requires another set of fixtures and creates the possibility of paint damage. There is also added labor associated with refitting the decklid after the glass is installed.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that includes a counterbalance spring to counter the weight of the decklid. It is also desirable to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that eliminates the need for removing and reinstalling the decklid. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that meets these desires.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a new decklid hinge for a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a decklid hinge for a vehicle that includes a counterbalance spring.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a decklid hinge for a decklid on a rear compartment of a vehicle including a body side strap adapted to be connected to a vehicle body of the vehicle. The decklid hinge also includes a decklid side strap adapted to be connected to a decklid for closing a recess of the rear compartment. The decklid hinge includes a first link interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap for allowing rotation therebetween. The decklid hinge also includes a second link interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap for guiding pivoting action of the hinge along a predefined path. The decklid hinge further includes a counterbalance spring interconnecting the body side strap and the decklid strap to counterbalance a weight of the decklid in an open position.
One advantage of the present invention is that a decklid hinge having a counterbalance spring is provided for a decklid of a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge eliminates the need for using a more expensive gas strut as a counterbalance by allowing installation of the counterbalance spring. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge has a service position that eliminates the need for a spring pre-tensioner tool. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge has a service position that eliminates the need for removing and reinstalling the decklid in general assembly for loading and installing a rear backlite glass. A further advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge eliminates a closeout or glass molding/seal at the bottom edge of the backlite or decklid to glass interface by creating room to tuck the bottom edge of the glass under the leading edge of the decklid. As a result, the decklid does not require retrofitting to meet the gap and flushness specifications after glass install. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that the decklid hinge eliminates decklid refit fixtures for general assembly.